History Literature / DaughterOfTheForest

* NoPronunciationGuide: None in the book itself, though you can find one on the author’s website.


* BalefulPolymorph: All of Sorcha’s brothers are turned into swans by their spiteful stepmother.

* RealityEnsues:
** Colum loves his kids, but it's his fault that they get enchanted and banished, in favor of Ciaran. It also breaks his spirit when Lady Oonagh leaves and takes the baby with her, especially when he learns Sorcha was nearly executed. Though the kids forgive him, they can't trust him anymore.
** Red inadvertently kidnapped Sorcha by taking her to his home, which the swans witness. This leads to her being accused of witchcraft and nearly executed, and no wonder that [[spoiler:the men take her back home when she's nearly burned at the stake. Red comes anyway and gives up his claim, after dealing with Richard, but they still arrest and interrogate him Her brothers aptly point out that for a guy that claimed to love her, she would have had an easier time staying in Sevenwaters]].

The youngest sibling is tasked with rescuing them in the most horrific way possible. She must weave six shirts from the fibers of a thorny plant, but she must not cry out in pain or ask for help or tell anyone her story. She is forbidden to speak at all. Complications arise when she falls into enemy hands, and she learns that appearances and emotions can be quite deceiving to all kinds of people.

* YourCheatingHeart: It’s implied that Oonagh was getting what she wanted not only by using her sorcerous powers, but also by sleeping her way around the neighboring lords’ bedchambers.

* AerithAndBob: All the names are period-appropriate, but it may seem strange to modern readers who aren’t familiar with Irish names like Sorcha, Niamh, Finbar, or Diarmid beside English ones like Ben, Richard, John, or Anne.

** Colum loves his kids, but it's his fault that they get enchanted and banished, in favor of Ciaran. It also breaks his spirit when Lady Oonagh leaves
** Red inadvertently kidnapped Sorcha by taking her to his home, which the swans witness. This leads to her being accused of witchcraft and nearly executed, and no wonder that [[spoiler:the men take her back home when she's nearly burned at the stake. Red comes anyway and gives up his claim, after dealing with Richard, but they still arrest and intetrogate him Her brothers aptly point out that for a guy that claimed to love her, she would have had an easier time staying in Sevenwaters]].

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Subverted; Eilis marries another lord after Liam goes missing, but it’s am arranged marriage against her will. Subverted similarly with [[spoiler:Elaine and Simon; Elaine is to marry Red after Simon’s disappearance, but never stops loving Simon]]. It’s implied [[spoiler:they will eventually marry after Simon returns and Red breaks their betrothal]].

An adaptation of the Grimms' fairy tale "The Six Swans", set in 9th-century Ireland. The story centers around Sorcha, a young girl who lives in Sevenwaters with her six older brothers and her father. She takes on the perilous task of healing one of her father’s captives, a wild young man named Simon who is beset by nightmares. Her situation only gets worse when her brothers force her to abandon her charge and return home - their father is engaged to another woman and she is demanding that Sorcha meet her. Her new stepmother, Lady Oonagh, quickly puts the entire household under a spell, ultimately turning Sorcha’s brothers into swans.

* RedHeadedHero: [[MeaningfulName Red]], who is the romantic lead if not the main character.

* EvilStepmother / EvilMatriarch: Oonagh, although she doesn’t get very much time to play the matriarch since she makes all of her stepchildren disappear within weeks of marrying their father.

* YouCanKeepHer: While Sorcha is being held for trial, Richard reveals that he tried to offer her father a ransom demand for her and was refused. Subverted in that, at the end, it's apparent that [[EvilStepmother Oonagh]] intercepted the ransom demand and sent a refusal in her husband’s name, as Colum would have given up his lands in a heartbeat to have his daughter back.

* GrandRomanticGesture: Most of Sorcha’s [[DatingWhatDaddyHates brothers]] don’t see it this way, but [[spoiler:Red abdicating his lordship at Harrowfield and leaving his homeland forever in the hopes of convincing Sorcha to stay with him]] definitely qualifies.


* HeroicBSOD: When the siblings return to Sevenwaters, Colum is in the midst of one of these, having lost every single member of his family as well as his allies.


* HugeGuyTinyGirl: It’s not clear exactly how big Red is, but he is certainly much bigger than tiny and delicate Sorcha (and one of Harrowfield’s GossipyHens at one point surmises that he must be “[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean hung like an ox]]”.)
* ImpossibleTask: Sorcha’s onus to weave six shirts from starwort, all without once crying out, laughing or speaking for the better part of four years, and without communicating any part of her story to anyone.


* KissingCousins: Elaine and Red [[spoiler:would have been this, had they followed through with the wedding]]; it’s implied [[spoiler:Elaine and Simon]] will eventually go on to become this.



* ManipulativeBastard: Oonagh and Richard are both prime examples.


* MaritalRapeLicense: [[DefiedTrope Defied]]. It’s pretty obvious that Red is attracted to and in love with Sorcha, but he is aware of her fear of intimacy and makes a point of telling her when they get married that he has never forced himself on any woman and has no intention of starting now.


** HonorableMarriageProposal becomes a DiscussedTrope when most of the household assumes [[spoiler:Hugh married Sorcha]] because he got her pregnant (though in reality they’d never slept together, and it eventually becomes obvious she’s not pregnant). 


* OutOfCharacterMoment: After Sorcha goes into the woods on her own to cut starwort, Red (usually the embodiment of calm and collected), shakes Sorcha’s shoulders and yells at her, leaving bruises and making her cry. He only does this the one time, and it’s never brought up again later. 


* RapeAndRevenge: [[spoiler:Sorcha is gang-raped by three villagers while in her forest seclusion. It just so happens to be the day before her brothers are human for a night, and they immediately hunt down the three men and slaughter them]].


* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler:Sorcha is raped about a year and a half into her task (so mind you, she’s barely fourteen), and it is portrayed as being very brutal and having lasting effects on her psyche, including her ability to interact with men—even her brothers, whom she adores and trusts totally. It’s never completely behind her, even once she forms a loving and intimate relationship with Red at the end.]]


* RavenHairIvorySkin: Sorcha, although among the fair-haired Britons she tends to be cast as an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette.


* TheResenter: Simon is this towards his elder brother when Sorcha meets him early on—although, in spite of his personal jealousy, he would die before betraying him. [[spoiler:He actually ends up inheriting his brother’s estate and authority when Red abdicates in the end, although Sorcha speculates that Simon may be destined to never be content, especially since Simon also fell in love with Sorcha, and Red didn’t give ''her'' up.]]


* PartialTransformation / ShapeshiftedModeLock: An amalgam of these two tropes occurs when Sorcha breaks the enchantment on her brothers; because she was unable to finish the sixth shirt in time, [[spoiler:Finbar]] is not fully restored to human form and is left with a swan’s wing [[AnArmAndALeg instead of a left arm]].


* ThePowerOfTrust

: This is basically the theme of Sorcha and Red's relationship arc.

* PsychicPowers: Aside from the telepathic powers mentioned under PsychicLink above, Finbar also has some precognitive powers, though the truth of his visions has not yet fully been played out or explained. He doesn’t go into the mode of his visions, either; some may be [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams]].



* TheStoic: Conor, in comparison with his other siblings. He tends more towards TranquilFury than outright temper, and almost always plays the voice of reason when things get heated. Red also fits neatly under this trope, to the extent that the one time he does lose his temper, it’s an [[OutOfCharacterMoment OOC moment]] that is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness very telling]].



* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: In order to prevent Sevenwaters from allying with Redbeard, Oonagh secretly poisons Eilis’ dinner at her wedding feast, causing Eilis’ father to break off her betrothal with Liam.



* YouCantFightFate: Toyed with; Finbar has terrible, hopeless visions of the future and is convinced they will come true; Sorcha insists he may be wrong. Since it’s only the first book of the series, the final results of his visions are not yet clear [[spoiler:but at least some of Finbar’s specific interpretations (like Sorcha failing in her ImpossibleTask) turn out to be incorrect]].



* AerithAndBob: All the names are period-appropriate, but it may seem strange to modern readers who aren’t familiar with Irish names like Sorcha, Niamh, Fimbar, or Diarmid beside English ones like Ben, Richard, John, or Anne.

** Downplayed; Red "flipping out" is a pretty good example of calm and collected TranquilFury.

* BloodKnight: Cormack, who is eager for battle, and hotheaded Diarmid has shades of it too.

* FightingIrish

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Sorcha looks like a toddler compared to Red.

* [[BigBrotherInstinct Mutual Sibling Instinct]] : Mostly Sorcha who does most of the work but the others when they can help as well.

* OutOfCharacterMoment: Red, the embodiment of calm and collected, grabs Sorcha’s shoulders and shakes her, bruising her and making her cry after she wanders out on her own. He only does this once (even though she wanders around without telling him continuously) and the encounter is pretty much forgotten afterwards.
* PickyEater: How does Sorcha survive with so little food?
* SiblingTriangle: Both Simon and Red fall for Sorcha…hard.

* TrueCompanions

The first book of ''Literature/TheSevenwatersTrilogy''. Written by Creator/JulietMarillier.

An adaptation of "The Six Swans," set in 9th-century Ireland. The story centers around Sorcha, a young girl who lives in Sevenwaters with her six older brothers and her father. She takes on the perilous task of healing one of her father’s captives, a wild young man named Simon who is beset by nightmares. Her situation only gets worse when her brothers force her to abandon her charge and return home - their father is engaged to another woman and she is demanding that Sorcha meet her. Her new stepmother, Lady Oonagh, quickly puts the entire household under a spell, ultimately turning Sorcha’s brothers into swans.

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Subverted; Eilis marries another lord after Liam goes missing, but it’s am arranged marriage against her will. Subverted similarly with [[spoiler:Elaine and Simon; Elaine is to marry Red after Simon’s disappearance, but never stops loving Simon]]. It’s implied [[spoiler:they will eventually marry after Simon returns and Red breaks their betrothal]].

* AerithAndBob: All the names are period-appropriate, but it may seem strange to modern readers who aren’t familiar with Irish names like Sorcha, Niamh, Fimbar, or Diarmid beside English ones like Ben, Richard, John, or Anne.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Simon feels like he lives in his brother’s shadow and his accomplishments are overlooked by everyone, but in his absence it is pretty clear that everyone at Harrowfield admires and loves him, and his supposedly AloofBigBrother risked his life and the security of his lands to try and find him when he went missing.

* BabiesEverAfter: For [[spoiler:Sorcha and Red.]]

* BalefulPolymorph: All of Sorcha’s brothers are turned into swans by their spiteful stepmother.

* BigBrotherInstinct: All Sorcha’s brothers have this towards her ‘’in spades’’. Inverted when they are turned into swans and Sorcha must sacrifice herself for their wellbeing, although they still defend and help her on the nights when they are human, and after their enchantment is broken.

** Subverted after the breaking of their enchantment, when their protectiveness goes a bit too far and Sorcha’s brothers (all but Finbar) [[spoiler:separate her and Red without asking her opinion, thinking there is no way a Briton could properly love their sister]], not realizing she’s grown into a woman while they were ensorcelled and can make her own choices.

** Hugh also displays this towards Simon, risking his life and the security of his lands to sail to Ireland and find Simon when he goes missing.
* BigBrotherWorship: Sorcha to all her brothers, but especially Finbar, and Conor as the story progresses.

* BloodKnight: Cormack, who is eager for battle, and hotheaded Diarmid has shades of it too.


* DontYouDarePityMe: When Sorcha sees Red [[ManlyTears break down]] after [[spoiler:John’s death]], she attempts to comfort him with a touch and he reacts harshly with almost these exact words: ‘’”I don’t want your pity!”’’
* {{Druid}}: [[spoiler:Conor]] goes off at the end to become one. He has a druidic [[BecauseDestinySaysSo mantle laid on him]] from the beginning, which is why he has a few mysterious abilities and is able to retain his human consciousness while in swan form.


* EarnYourHappyEnding



* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Oonagh pretty much takes over after her arrival. The siblings make it their mission to get rid of her.

* BigBrotherWorship: Sorcha
* BreakTheCutie: Both Lady Oonagh and the FairFolk ask an awful lot of Sorcha. The poor girl’s only 14 when the madness starts.

* DontYouDarePityMe: Red literally says this to Sorcha.
* EvilUncle: All eyes are on you, Richard.
* FightingIrish: And how!

* FragileFlower: Sorcha is described as a frail child, very thin and delicate. Although her weight changes slightly after her move to Harrowfield, she’s still tiny compared to the rest of the household. The men treat her like she’s extremely breakable. It also doesn’t help that she constantly injures herself.

An adaptation of "The Six Swans," set in Ireland. The story centers around Sorcha, a young girl who lives in Sevenwaters with her six older brothers and her father. She takes on the perilous task of healing one of her father’s captives, a wild young man named Simon who is beset by nightmares. Her situation only gets worse when her brothers force her to abandon her charge and return home - their father is engaged to another woman and she is demanding that Sorcha meet her. Her new stepmother, Lady Oonagh, quickly puts the entire household under a spell, ultimately turning Sorcha’s brothers into swans.

* FatherIWantToMarryMyBrother: Or cousin, in this case. Elaine makes her preference for Simon clear, but Richard arranges a marriage between her and Red instead. The fact that they’re all cousins doesn’t seem to make a difference.
** Richard actually says that he needed special permission from the Church to allow their marriage.

** During Sorcha's time away, Oonagh gives birth to a boy, making Ciaran the MagicalSeventhSon - [[spoiler: He becomes a druid, then a sorcerer, then a druid again.]]